Judge grants injunction over Holliston golf course contract

Friday

Jan 10, 2014 at 6:15 AM

By Anamika RoyDaily News Staff

HOLLISTON -- A superior court judge has granted an injunction to a Plainville company to stop town officials from awarding a contract to another company to run Pinecrest Golf Club.In its claim, Johnson Golf Management Inc., accused the town of acting in bad faith by awarding the contract to low bidder and current course operator, New England Golf Corp. of Westwood. The complaint was filed with Middlesex Superior Court on Dec. 11.New England Golf Corp.'s bid was $435,000, Johnson Golf Management's was $530,000.Judge Maureen Hogan ruled on Dec. 19 that the town may not give the contract to anyone except Johnson Golf.The town opened bids for a company to run the municipal golf course in October and closed bidding on Nov. 1 last year.New England Golf has run Pinecrest since 1987.Upon selecting New England Golf, the town entered into a contract with the company at the end of last year. The contract was set to go into effect on Jan. 1.The judge’s ruling complicated things for the town and New England Golf.Holliston's insurance company is providing legal representation on the case. Its lawyer could not reached for comment.The town goes through a bidding process every three to five years for Pinecrest, according to Town Administrator and Chief Procurement Officer, Paul LeBeau.Bidders are asked to submit a technical proposal and a price proposal. These are evaluated by the town’s Golf Course Advisory Committee. The technical proposal outlines the company’s finances, references, experience managing other golf courses and its plans for Pinecrest. The price proposal is the amount the company is willing to pay for the contract.When evaluating bidders, the committee is not allowed to look at the price proposal before making a decision based on the company's technical qualifications. The committee ranks the bidders.Based on the initial technical review on Nov. 7, evaluators found both companies to be “highly advantageous,” according to Johnson Golf’s complaint.The committee took a second look at the proposals on Nov. 13 and found New England Golf's bid “more highly advantageous,” the complaint said.In an ideal scenario, the company ranked highest based on the technical proposal also offers the best price, said LeBeau.“If that is not the case, evaluators must weigh the quality of service with the price,” he said.Johnson Golf argues that its qualitative differences with New England Golf were “trivial and unsubstantial.”For now, it is unclear if there will be more litigation.“It remains to be seen,” said LeBeau.Anamika Roy can be reached at 508-626-3957 or aroy@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @anamikaroy.

Market Place

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA ~ 33 New York Ave., Framingham, MA 01701 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service